. . . thinking how incredible it is that they can visit the Belvedere at night, not only the Belvedere but the lake too, and what astonishing variety is provided by this man-made arrangement of dells and running water….The tall lampposts illuminating the park with their incandescent gas jets form great sulphurous trails in this double night through which the tree trunks loom….We enter the park feeling like conquerors and quite drunk with openmindedness.
“Seen from above, the Parc des Buttes-Chaumont is shaped like a nightcap . . .”
So goes Louis Aragon’s love affair with Paris. Just twenty‑eight when he wrote this magical novel, he compares a poet’s love for his city to a peasant’s love for his land. A leading Surrealist writer, Aragon was keenly aware of the hidden life concealed by every object, great and small. The Peasant of Paris combines minute descriptions of scenes and objects, humorous anecdotes, and philosophical reflections: all to create a reality that goes far beyond the literal or visual.
Another love affair with Paris: that of the renowned artist and photo- grapher Henri Cartier‑Bresson who chose this book to illustrate with seven enchanting lithographs of Paris and a photogravure portrait of Louis Aragon.
- One Volume, 12 x 16¼ inches
- Seven lithographs and a photogravure by Henri Cartier‑Bresson
- Edition limited to three hundred numbered copies
- Newsletter
- Each book signed by Henri Cartier‑Bresson
The text and seven lithographs are printed on mould‑made paper, from the Arches mill in Epinal, France. The photogravure plate was made and the photogravures were editioned by Jon Goodman at his studio in Hadley, Massachusetts. The book and slipcase are bound in gray‑green Japanese fabric. 1994. $ 1,550
The Print Portfolio is Also Available – Click Here
Frontispiece: Photogravure of Louis Aragon and Title Page
From Henri Cartier-Bresson Afterword
Preface (beginning) and print of Henri Cartier-Bresson drawing
Beginning of The Peasant of Paris
“The gateway to mystery swings open at the touch of human weakness . . .”
Description of the Passage de l’Opera
Print of Henri Cartier-Bresson drawing
Print of Henri Cartier-Bresson drawing of “Buttes-Chaumont”
” . . . towards the south-east, the Canal Saint-Martin joins up with the Canal de l’Ourcq at the outlet of the Bassin de La Villette . . . at the elbow of the outer boulevards and the overhead Métro . . .”
Beginning of Henri Cartier-Bresson Afterword
Colophon page
Newsletter
Book and Case